One Legend to Another
by badboylover24
Summary: The final scene of Rattlesnake Jake through said outlaw's POV. Rated for a few curses.


**One Legend to Another**

**Summary:** This is a fanfic of what Rattlesnake Jake's thinking through his POV; from the moment Rango aimed his gun at him bravely to when he carried Mayor John out to his doom. And what if he saw Rango slip the bullet out of his gun before handing it over to the old turtle to save Beans? I only own one character that will be mentioned in this fanfic; the rest belong to Nickelodeon.

I turned to my gun when it stopped firing bullets and shook it. Stupid bats; bled me dry of ammo. I was about to load it up again when I heard a clicking sound by my head. I turned to the side, and there stood my "brother" aiming his gun at my face. And he had a stern, serious look on his face. What the blazing hell is he up to?

"It only takes one bullet," he said calmly.

I just wanted to laugh at his face. He can't be serious. I recalled when I first met this so-called "hero" who dared to call himself my brother, I had a feeling he's just some lonely human's pet starving for attention. I knew he wasn't from the West; his accent was practically city slicker. And I _knew _he didn't kill those Jenkins Brothers with _one_ bullet. I should know. I've met the real Jenkins murderer personally, but said killer wished to stay anonymous for personal reasons.

This chameleon who calls himself Rango is just some innocent stranger who lied to these good folks just to gain some friends because he's been alone in the world before parting with his human masters. Being trapped in a tank can do that to ya. Sure, he killed a hawk with one bullet and some chain reaction, and he got back that water those varmints stole from the town. But one thing my late father always told me: "It's best to just be yerself than be someone yer not." That's probably what I should've told "Rango" before I drove him out of town, but I had a reputation to keep up.

"Ya ain't got the nerve," I hissed at him with a sneer. All he did was narrow his beady yellow eyes at me.

"Try me." And that's when I saw that look in his eyes that drained me of my arrogance and refilled me with fear and amazement. The look he didn't give me before I drove him out of town and yet I wanted to see. The killer look in his eyes.

This lizard's serious! He's really courageous enough to look me in the eye and take my life! Sure, I can use my venom, but he might dodge me before shooting me in the head. I'm betting he gained that courage from a personal encounter with the Spirit of the West himself and from the thought of his pretty girlfriend in trouble.

As I stared at my potential death in the face, my thoughts drifted back to the one I cared for the most in the world: Gliding Gold, my little sister. She's all the family I have left in the world after a hawk killed our parents. As my father fought off the hawk, he ordered me to take the baby and run. I obeyed him and ran off with my sister, but not before the hawk slashed my tail clean off. My other siblings also made a break for it as well, scattering to different parts of the desert. But our parents…they never made it.

I thought I would bleed to death from my wound until a group of Native American critters found us. Turned out the chief was a friend of my father, and he took us into his tribe. My injury was healed, and I was given this very Gatling gun as a new rattle (Who'd thought they'd have a gunsmith in their tribe?). Since my parents never named the baby before they were killed, I named her Gliding Gold, for our family's famous for our smooth gliding when we slither, and the little one's eyes shone like a pair of gold nuggets.

Since then, I've been roaming from one area in the Mojave Desert to the next, searching for the rest of my siblings, gaining the resources I need to care for Gliding Gold as she's under the care of the natives, and gaining the infamous reputation as the Grim Reaper of the West or the Snake from Hell. I rarely told anyone about Gliding Gold, fearing that someone might try to try to hurt her. When I got word from Mayor John about Rango who claimed to be my brother, I thought perhaps he's one of my missing siblings. You can imagine my disappointment when I found out he's a lizard and not a rattler like me. But I took the job anyway for the money. The price the mayor promised me will be more than enough to care for Gliding Gold for a lifetime.

But what good is that when you're dead? I won't return to my little sister, and she'll be alone in the world, despite the natives caring for her. Gliding Gold…I'm sorry…

"Oh, Mister Rango…" The two of us turned to see the mayor, Bad Bill, and said Gila monster's gang holding the sheriff's girlfriend.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" the turtle asked before the two rabbits held a loaded gun to the frightened lizard's face. I turned to Rango to see the look of concern for her on his face. Is he willing to let me live so that he can save the woman he loves?

"Your gun, sheriff," the turtle said, holding out his hand as the rabbits pulled the little lady into the bank. Rango looked down at his gun. If he doesn't give him the gun, she's dead. But if he does, they're _both_ death. I still stared at him with fear and surprise as I recalled him willing to kill me with that weapon…

"Now, Mister Rango," Mayor John said, his tone a bit more threatening. With a hesitant glare at the turtle, the sheriff lowered his gun and went up to the mayor with it. But not before I saw him place his hand on the gun to secretly remove the lone bullet from the weapon and make it look like he's undoing the ready trigger.

I then watched after him in awe as he walked towards the bank. I knew that technique far too well. It was said that the Spirit of the West was a master of that tactic: secretly removing the bullet from the gun to fool the opponent when you give him your gun. Rango must be up to something, or he knows the mayor's planning something. I'm thinking if the mayor tries to kill him with the gun, he'll realized there's no bullet, giving the chameleon the chance to save his girlfriend.

I kept it to myself, of course, as I slithered after him and up to his side. He was one of the few brave enough to look me in the eye and show no fear. The native chief taught me to take those few seriously when they have proven themselves worthy in my eyes. I then turned to the sheriff.

"Guess I was wrong 'bout ya, son," I said to him lowly. "Fer that, ya earn my respect." John, of course, heard me.

"Earning an outlaw's respect," he said with a sinister smile as Rango handed over his gun to the crippled reptile. "You should be honored, Mister Rango." The chameleon turned to me with a straight face.

"I am," he said calmly, "and I return that respect." I remained silent as Bad Bill then forced him into the bank, and yet I couldn't help but nod to him in gratitude. He never fails to amaze me.

I entered the bank to see Bad Bill and his boys throw Rango and his girlfriend into the vault and locking it up so they would drown as it fills up with water. I watched as the chameleon tried to calm the desert lizard down. Yup, he's got a plan…

"HEEELP! OPEN THE DOOR!" If I had hands, I'd be giving myself a face-palm right now. What…an…idiot. The mayor merely chuckled as he then turned his wheelchair around so he's facing me.

"All my problems are now taken care of…except for one." He then took out Rango's gun and cocked before aiming it at me.

I stared at him in disbelief. He plans to kill me now that I'm defenseless? That rotten son of a…

"It's a new West, Jake," the tortoise explained evilly. "There's no place for outlaws like you anymore. We're businessmen now."

"We got new hats," one of the rabbits stated, stepping up and pointing at his Derpy hat.

"Yeah, and it makes y'all look stupid," I spatted lowly before shooting a deadly glare at John. "You and I hadda deal, mayor. What 'bout what yer end of the bargain?"

"Not t' worry, mate," Bad Bill said to me. "I'll be sure the money gets t' Glidin' Gold." He then gave me a sick smile before adding the last part that really got my inner rage flaring.

"And Mayor John 'ere also asked that I take _very_ good care of the lil' Sheila." That crippled bastard! He told that sick lizard about my sister and is letting him turn her into his little toy?!

"You so much as touch her, and y'all _dead_!" I hissed. John and Bill simply laughed at me.

"Won't do you any good if you're dead yourself, Jacob," the tortoise countered, oblivious that the gun's empty. I only gave him a cocky sneer.

"Ya can't kill the Grim Reaper." Stupid old man merely thought I was bluffing.

"You and Mister Rango are very much alike, Jake," he said. "You're both legends. Pretty soon, no one will believe you even existed." I just glared at him as he aimed the empty gun at my face.

"One bullet to kill one last outlaw," he said. "How fitting…" And he pulled the trigger.

_Click_

I smirked evilly at his confused face when he saw that the gun never gave out a shot.

"Told ya 'fore," I said lowly. "Ya can't kill the Grim Reaper." I was about to bring out my fangs when I heard something…glass cracking. It sounds like its coming from…_the vault_! We all turned and soon enough found cracks going along the glass door of the vault. It's gonna bust open! They all tried to make a break for it, but it was too late; it exploded to release a wave of cool water at us to blast us out of the bank. I spun around as I held my breath. How the hell did that happen?!

I gasped with relief when I escaped from the wave and found myself outside of the bank and in the street. I then turned to see three familiar figures: Rango, his girlfriend, and…the damn mayor. That bastard cowardly tried to reason with the chameleon as he laid on his back defenseless. The sheriff then caught a glimpse of me before giving him his answer.

"That's somethin' you'll have to take up with _him_." He then pushed the tortoise with his foot, spinning him around until he was facing me. I then rose as he gawked at me in fear.

I'll make that bastard suffer a slow and horrible death! He lied about the payment. He attempted to kill me. He was gonna turn Gliding Gold over to a sick-in-the-head Gila monster. Three strikes; you're out…

I blinked as something shiny shone in my eye and turned to see that it came a stray bullet…Rango's bullet. I get it all now: he used that bullet to break the glass and free himself and the girl.

"Hm…one bullet," I said in thought before turning to Rango and his girlfriend, who looked up at me calmly, but my gaze is mostly at Rango. He truly is a hero, a legend. He saved the town from a hawk. He brought the water back to the town. And he saved three lives: his life…the life of his beloved…and whether he knows it or not…my life. Guess the mayor was right; we're _both_ legends. A legend of the light, and a legend of the dark. He truly is…my brother. Not by flesh and blood, but as a fellow legend.

"I tip my hat to ya," I said, nodding to Rango to tip my hat to him, "one legend to another." Rango returned the gesture, making me smirk at him in gratitude for thanks…and for saving my life. I then turned to the frightened mayor, my anger growing again.

"What was that you just said?" I said mockingly as anger grew more through my voice. "Pretty soon, no one will believe ya even existed…" With a roar and inhuman speed, I shot around the mayor, wrapping my coils around him as he protested in vain. Once he's secure in my grasp, I slithered off at top speed out of town with the mayor screaming behind me, ready for his one-way ticket to Hell. As I left town, I only left Rango with one last message.

"Catch ya later, brother…"


End file.
